Bing tests bold https in sponsored result URLs
Bing is testing bold URLs for sponsored results, though the entire URL isn’t bold just the “https” portion appears in bold. Previously, Bing tested several other variations for sponsored results, including fully bold URLs, a “Sponsored” label, and light grey styling. Today, we spotted this half-bold version, where only “https” is bold and the rest […]
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Google answers whether some industries don’t need GEO
A user asked John Mueller a question about GEO on Bluesky: are there any industries where GEO isn’t required? The user, @galloni.net, cited examples from industries like adult, gambling, and others where Google remains a major source of discovery. Here’s what the user asked: “are there industries where GEO simply doesn’t matter yet? I’m thinking […]
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Google expands AI Max for search campaigns
Google is expanding AI Max for Search campaigns, giving advertisers new tools to test changes to budgets, ROI targets, and campaign settings before actually rolling them out. Google announced this update on its blog. There are three changes worth knowing about. 1. Test multiple campaigns at once Starting in September, advertisers will be able to […]
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Search Engine Watch is back: a new independent chapter begins
Thirty years after a webmaster’s question became Search Engine Watch, the publication is under new independent ownership. Here is what we owe its history, and what we intend to build next. The first thing to say about relaunching Search Engine Watch is that this story does not begin with me. I did not create this […]
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Daily Search Forum Recap: August 24, 2026
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Google fixed two bugs, the favicon bug and the crawl stats bug in Search Console…
Google Makes Minor Updates To Canonicalization Help Docs
Google has made some minor updates to the canonicalization help documents including the What is canonicalization and Fix canonicalization issues. I am not sure if anything fundamentally is different on the page outside of making it easier to understand…
Google Search Console owners receive emails about new account owners
Google Search Console owners have been receiving emails from Google notifying them of a new owner on their Search Console accounts. Barry Schwartz received one of these emails and shared a screenshot along with an article on SER. Here is the screenshot of how it looks. Barry noted: “Again, it seems like these folks already […]
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Google Merchant Center Product Images Minimum Size Will Be 500×500 Pixels
Google sent out an email to Google Merchant Center advertisers and users that the minimum size for product images is going up to 500 x 500 pixels starting on January 31, 2027. Google recommends at least 1500×1500 pixels or above, but the minimum size …
Google Aware Of Reviews Missing After Google Business Profile Reinstatement
Google is aware of and in the process of addressing an issue where reviews are missing after a Google Business Profile gets reinstated after it was suspended. Google is reportedly actively working on a resolution but there is no estimated time for when…
Google Tests Pink Highlights In Featured Snippets
Typically, when Google highlights phrases in a featured snippet or AI Overview within Google Search, the highlighter color is blue. We’ve seen Google test other colors before, but here is a new one – a pink highlight.
Google Ads Reduces Conversion Cycle For Maximize Conversion Value Bidding
Google has updated the Google Ads help document for About Maximize conversion value bidding with a number of changes. The change that stood out the most was Google lowering the conversion cycles requirement from three cycles to one or two conversion cy…
Google Search Console Sends New Owner Email Notifications – Bug?
Many of you may have woken up this morning to emails from Google Search Console notifying you of a new owner on your Search Console accounts. I received a couple, as did many of you. I was a bit alarmed when I saw it but the notifications were about …
Google Merchant Center warns advertisers about image size requirements
Google has been sending emails to Merchant Center advertisers about a change coming to product image requirements. Starting January 31, 2027, Google will disapprove any product images smaller than 500×500 pixels. Adriaan Dekker posted this on LinkedIn and wrote “Google is sending out emails announcing that, effective January 31, 2027, all product images in Google […]
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Is Google changing its homepage buttons again?
Google appears to be making more changes to its homepage design. A couple of weeks ago, we covered Google adding new buttons below the search bar, and Google confirmed this test pointed users toward AI Mode. At the time, there were four buttons: “Create images,” “Ask about files,” “Brainstorm,” and “I’m feeling lucky.” As a […]
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Is Google changing its homepage buttons again?
Google appears to be making more changes to its homepage design. A couple of weeks ago, we covered Google adding new buttons below the search bar, and Google confirmed this test pointed users toward AI Mode. At the time, there were four buttons: “Create images,” “Ask about files,” “Brainstorm,” and “I’m feeling lucky.” As a […]
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6 best SEO courses that are actually worth taking in 2026
Search Engine Watch was comparing online SEO training options back in 2008. At the time, paying roughly $150 for a beginner course could be the easiest way to get organized instruction and access to an expert. That is no longer the bargain it once was. Today, excellent explanations of crawling, search intent, keyword research and […]
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Google rolls out updates to google tag and tag manager
Google has rolled out several updates to its tagging tools, aimed at making it easier for advertisers to measure website performance and cutting down on the technical setup involved. Ginny Marvin, Google Ads Liaison, posted about this on X. She wrote: “What if building a strong data foundation didn’t require jumping through a ton of […]
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Google explains why spam updates need to happen
Google John Mueller has explained why Google announces spam updates, even though many of Google spam systems already update continuously on their own. Eli Schwartz posted a question on LinkedIn: “Why after 26 years does there need to be an update to get rid of spam instead of it just happening on its own with […]
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Google search console crawl stats report shows data gap
Google Search Console’s Crawl Stats report is currently showing missing data for a couple of days in August. Barry Schwartz spotted this issue and posted on SER. Here is the screenshot of this. Glenn Gabe also posted this on X, wrote: “FYI, two days are missing from the Crawl Stats reporting in GSC. August 15 […]
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Google Fixed Favicon Bug & Crawl Stats Missing Data
Google has fixed two bugs this weekend related to Google Search. The first is the bug with many favicons not showing up in the Google Search result snippets. The second is the bug with two days of data missing from the Google Search Console crawl stats…